If it's in the News, it's in our Polls. Public opinion polling since 2003.

POLITICS

Election 2012: Florida President

Florida: Romney 50%, Obama 48%

Mitt Romney still earns 50% of the vote in the key battleground state of Florida, but his lead is smaller.

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in the Sunshine State finds Romney with 50% of the vote to President Obama's 48%. One percent (1%) is undecided.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Florida now moves back to a Toss-Up from Leans Romney in the Rasmussen Reports Electoral College Projections.

Last week, Romney held his biggest lead - 51% to 46% -- of the year so far in Florida.  The week before, Romney held a slightly narrower 51% to 47% advantage. Prior to that time, the candidates have been within two points of each other in Florida in every survey since April.

Ninety-five percent (95%) of Florida voters say they are certain to vote on Election Day. Among these voters, it's Romney 52%, Obama 47%.

Florida has early voting, and 23% of voters in the state have already cast a ballot.  Obama is ahead 54% to 44% among those voters who've already voted. Last week, Romney led Obama among this group of voters.

Among those who have yet to vote, 92% say they have already made up their minds which candidate they will vote for.  Romney leads 51% to 48% among these voters.

How did you do in this week’s Rasmussen Challenge? Check the leaderboard.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 750 Likely Voters in Florida was conducted on October 25, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Florida voters trust Romney more than Obama to handle the economy by a 51% to 45% margin but are evenly divided when it comes to which candidate they trust more to handle national security and energy policy.

Forty-eight percent (48%) of voters in the state expect the U.S. economy to get better if Romney is elected president and Republicans win control of Congress. That compares to 39% who feel that way if Obama is reelected and Democrats regain control of Congress. Forty-four percent (44%) expect the economy to get worse if Obama wins, compared to 38% who believe that's true if Romney's the winner.

Sixteen percent (16%) of Florida voters rate the U.S. economy as good or excellent, while 48% describe the economy as poor.  Thirty-five percent (35%) say economic conditions in the country are getting better, but 43% think they're getting worse.

Obama is the heavy favorite among those who view the economy positively, while Romney draws strong support from the much larger group who feel it's in poor shape.

Younger voters in the state back the president, but middle age voters and senior citizens prefer Romney.  Romney is ahead among male voters but trails the president among female voters.

Among voters not affiliated with either major political party, Obama leads Romney 56% to 38%.

Fifty-three percent (53%) of all voters in the state have a favorable impression of Romney, while 44% view him unfavorably.  This includes 44% who have a Very Favorable opinion and 33% who have a Very Unfavorable one.

The president is viewed favorably by 47% of Florida voters and unfavorably by 51%, including Very Favorables of 38% and Very Unfavorables of 43%.

Obama carried Florida in 2008 by a 51% to 48% margin. Forty-eight percent (48%) of voters in the state now approve of the job he is doing as president. Forty-nine percent (49%) disapprove of his job performance. These figures include 37% who Strongly Approve and 44% who Strongly Disapprove.

In addition to Florida, Colorado, Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin are Toss-Ups. Obama is ahead in California, Connecticut, MaineMassachusettsMichiganMinnesota, New MexicoPennsylvania and Washington. Romney leads in ArizonaFlorida, IndianaMontana, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina and North Dakota.

Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to Platinum Members only.

Please sign up for the Rasmussen Reports daily e-mail update (it’s free) or follow us on Twitter or Facebook. Let us keep you up to date with the latest public opinion news.

The survey of 750 Likely Voters in Florida was conducted on October 25, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Rasmussen Reports is a media company specializing in the collection, publication and distribution of public opinion information.

We conduct public opinion polls on a variety of topics to inform our audience on events in the news and other topics of interest. To ensure editorial control and independence, we pay for the polls ourselves and generate revenue through the sale of subscriptions, sponsorships, and advertising. Nightly polling on politics, business and lifestyle topics provides the content to update the Rasmussen Reports web site many times each day. If it's in the news, it's in our polls. Additionally, the data drives a daily update newsletter and various media outlets across the country.

Some information, including the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll and commentaries are available for free to the general public. Subscriptions are available for $4.95 a month or 34.95 a year that provide subscribers with exclusive access to more than 20 stories per week on upcoming elections, consumer confidence, and issues that affect us all. For those who are really into the numbers, Platinum Members can review demographic crosstabs and a full history of our data.

To learn more about our methodology, click here.